The Falklands Play

The Falklands Play is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had increasingly come to specialise in dramatic reconstructions of history. It was originally commissioned by the BBC in 1983, for production and broadcast in 1986, but was subsequently shelved by Controller of BBC One Michael Grade due to its pro-Margaret Thatcher stance and alleged jingoistic tone. This prompted a press furore over media bias and censorship. The play was not staged until 2002, when it was broadcast in separate adaptations on BBC Television and Radio.

The play focuses on the methods by which British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the British government handled the United Kingdom’s largest Foreign Affairs emergency since the Suez Crisis of 1956. The play charts the behind-the-scenes dealings between Thatcher’s Conservative government and the military, as well as the British, United States, and Argentine governments, in what became a diplomatic breakdown that gave way to war and eventual British victory.